Unraveling
by PermanentlyFrozen
Summary: Inuyasha is faced with a difficult choice. It is time for the dog demons to populate, and with no available options, it seems like he'll lose his powers and his life for good, unless he can find someone to carry on the task.
1. Chapter 1

**::~** Hello! First of All, I am very very sorry I've been absent for a year (maybe more?). And I'd like to give an even bigger thanks to the loyal readers who have stood by me, and have read and re-read my work. You're all super amazing. It's been a tough year and I've been very busy. I've nearly had to eliminate writing for fun completely, but it's summer time and I'm definitely back. I won't withhold you from reading any longer, enjoy!~

**::~**

Soft, warm tendrils of sunlight entered the room, illuminating softly everything in it, even the sleeping hanyou. He woke up at daybreak, as usual. He sat up straight and rubbed his head, only to find that his hair was in a peculiar fashion. "The hell?" He muttered sleepily and got up, scratching his belly.

Inuyasha walked over to the full-length mirror at his bedside and turned, his face contorting with confusion, then ire. Down his back was the largest braid he'd ever seen, with flowers intertwined in his hair. He screamed loudly, rushing to his window just to see a small girl in a yellow and orange checkered dress hop onto the bus. "RIN!" Inuyasha growled. "You little runt, I'll get you for this!" He said, waving his hand out the window.

His brother stood in the door frame, a tall man with silver-white hair flowing down his back, like his half-brother. He took up much of the door frame, and had amber irises just like the half demon before him. Yet that's where the brothers' similarities ended. Whereas Inuyasha was brash, foul-mouthed, and reckless, His older brother Sesshoumaru was cold, calculating, and in control at all times.

"Get dressed," Sesshoumaru said. "You're already late for school." Inuyasha growled at his brother as Sesshoumaru scoffed and walked away.

::~

"Bye Grandpa! Bye Souta! Bye Mama!" Kagome said as she ran down the shrine steps. She was already late for school, and she had absolutely no time to waste. The girl was on her way to catch the bus when she felt a large force pummel into her and send the girl flying to the ground. Her body fell before any of her books did, and for a moment she looked up in awe, watching all the papers around her flutter around her like butterflies and slowly start to settle.

"Oi, watch it!" Said the figure beyond the papers. Kagome dusted herself off and stood angrily, holding in to her last ounce of pride. She stomped her foot and clenches her fists tightly, prepared to give the white-haired hanyou before her a piece of her mind.

"You watch it, buster! You could really hurt someone, running around like that! You gotta be careful!" She snapped. Inuyasha widened his eyes and then scoffed.

"Keh, I don't needa be lectured by the likes of you, I got a lot on my plate already, so fuck off!" He said haughtily. Kagome's eyes widened in shock and then she stomped her foot.

Who did he think he was, anyway? The jerk! "What do you mean, the likes of me?!" She demanded.

"You know," Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms. "A _human_." He spoke as if it were the biggest insult he could muster. Infuriated, Kagome pointed a finger at him.

"For your information, you're part human too, _stupid_." Inuyasha's reaction to that was enough to keep her going. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with being human!"

Inuyasha glared at the girl before him that reminded him so much if Kikyou. The realization hit him like a rock. _No wonder I haven't ripped her throat out by now_, Inuyasha mused. "Keh," He said, disregarding that. "I'm also half-demon, idiot." Inuyasha stared at her for a moment before deciding he was tired of talking to her. He hated the sound of her voice—it was nasally and high-pitched. He was wasting time anyway, he was already late to school. Soon enough Sesshoumaru would have his head.

"Whatever, just stay outta the way next time, got it?" He said rudely before breaking out into a run. Kagome was left stunned as she turned and wondered why a hanyou like him had such a girly hairstyle.

::~

_Damn_, Inuyasha cursed as he tried to pry the braid apart with his claws. It was impossible, it was stuck. _Little bitch_, he said thinking about his half brother's charge. She was smart enough to make it impossible for him to take off. _Well, that's what I get for scarin' her _Inuyasha said to himself. He let his braid go and let it fly behind him as he got closer and closer to the school.

As he approached the school gates he heard the guys sneer at him and make jokes - as if they don't make enough already.

"Nice braid, Inuyasha!" One called out to the half-demon. "Did you do it yourself?" He and his group started cackling and Inuyasha made a fist. He jumped toward them and held up his clawed hands. The group of guys widened their eyes in fear, knowing that Inuyasha was strong enough to rip them apart if he wanted to.

Just then Kagome had finally arrived at the school gates, barely making it on time. She sighed and bent over to catch her breath, when she noticed silver hair to her right. _So Inuyasha is his name?_ She mused. _And he's already threatening someone else. Geez, what a creep._

"Make a joke about my hair again and I'll rip out your balls, got that?" He sneered. The group of guys gulped and nodded. "Good. Now get outta my sight."

The guys hastily obliged and ran as far away as possible as Inuyasha's dark haired friend approached. "Ah, Inuyasha! How great to see you. I've been wait-what's that on your head?" Miroku asked, tilting to the side to see the elegantly made braid. Inuyasha sighed.

"Can it Miroku, I'm not in the mood." Inuyasha said, more than a little irritated at the way his morning was going. His friend knew him well enough to back off and not press the issue.

"I just came to say that Old Man Totosai is looking for you. Something about you missing out in track practice last week," his friend warned. Inuyasha sighed.

"I had a family emergency, what'd he want me to do?" Lately Sesshoumaru demanded that Inuyasha attended meetings for Takahashi Enterprises, seeing as he was next in line. Their father made it the most prominent business in the country, but Sesshoumaru was the only one that reaped it's benefits. For all everyone else knew, Sesshoumaru was an only child. Inuyasha cared little for the company, but he knew better than to ignore Sesshoumaru's wishes when it came to the company.

"Alright, alright," Inuyasha said, hitting his shoulder, having slept on it in the wrong position the night prior. "I'll see that old geezer after second. Have the period free anyway,"

Miroku nodded, agreeing that it was a good plan. "Speaking of school Inuyasha, where are your books?" Miroku said, noticing that Inuyasha was empty handed.

"Damnit!" Inuyasha cursed, as he ran through the gates.

::~

"'Morning Kagome!" She heard her friends chime once she stepped into the room. Kagome smiled and raised a hand. Her friends were always there without fail.

"Hi Eri, Yuka, Ayumi! Good morning." Kagome nodded to her friends before she took a seat in the middle of the classroom. Immediately, the trio crowded around her and looked at her expectantly.

"What?" Kagome asked, not knowing what they were going on about at the moment.

"You know what!" Said Eri. "How'd your date with Hojo go?"

"We're dying to know!" Ayumi chimed in. Kagome sighed.

Hojo was nice, but he wasn't interesting at all. Kagome wanted excitement. She wanted romance, and maybe a bit of an adventure. She couldn't find that with Hojo, but how was she going to tell her friends?

"It went great," she finally said. "He's really nice." If her friends were expecting more, they weren't going to get it. It had been a pretty bland night.

"And?" Yuka pressured. Kagome shook her head.

"Nothing else happened, that's it. We just watched a movie." Thankfully the bell rang and she busied herself with getting out her books so her friends would have to leave her alone.

::~

*BOINK*

Inuyasha hit the old man hard over the head in the gym, as the rest of the runners stood by idly, wondering what the old man had in store. "What do you mean I have to find a mate?" Inuyasha hissed. "I don't got time or that kinda stuff!"

Totosai rubbed the bulge that was already swelling. "Inuyasha, it's tradition. You're coming of age now, you must find someone."

"How come Sesshoumaru doesn't have to do that stuff? He's the demon lord, I'm just a half-demon!" Inuyasha snarled. It was beginning to get very difficult to keep himself under control. His fist was starting to shake, and he but into his lip so hard his fang was beginning to draw blood.

Inuyasha knew he had to continue his bloodline, but he supposed Sesshoumaru would take care of that with his charge. Apparently not. By the time Rin became of age it would have been too late. No, Inuyasha had I find a mate _now_.

"Before the next summer solstice!" Totosai warned. "Or else both you and Sesshoumaru will lose your powers! And you'll fall victim to all your enemies."

Inuyasha left the gym in a hurry, without any excuses. He needed time to think, and he couldn't do that with those idiots gawking at him. Everyone was in class, and the hallway was completely depleted._ Good_, he mused. He didn't want to see anyone at the moment. He didn't know what he'd do if he did.

If he and Sesshoumaru turned human, the lands their father had destined for them would be overridden by demons that thirsted for their blood-and they would be utterly powerless to stop them. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and there was no way his claws could get through either.

"Keh," he said to himself. "Like I care what happens to these puny humans. They'll eventually die anyway, so why bother?" No matter how much the hanyou tried to convince himself he still felt a pit in his stomach, something he hasn't felt since Kikyou passed away.

_Kikyou_, he thought. If she were alive he'd have asked her in a second. She despised demons, but he'd find a way to convince her.

Somehow.

Inuyasha sighed. If only...

::~

"I got it!" Kagome said as she dove for the ball. Her hands intertwined and she managed to hit the volleyball over the net just in time. Kagome saw a pair of shoes in front of her and she stood quickly. "Headmistress Kaede," she said, as she stated in surprise at the principal and a new student she had by her side.

The girl looked much older than her, and was strongly built, yet she had a lithe body. She looked like she had been fighting for most of her life, but she was still beautiful. Her long brown hair was tied up in a ponytail and her eyes were framed by pink eyeshadow-and interesting choice, in Kagome's opinion.

"Kagome," said Kaede. "This is Sango. She has just arrived from a taijiya highschool. I trust ye will teach her what she needs to know, and perhaps admit her into your game." Kaede said, looking at the other girls that had stopped playing and were now looking at them with interest.

Kagome nodded and looked at the girl, Sango. "Of course." Kaede nodded.

"Very well. If ye need anything ye know where to find me." Kaede nodded at the other girls and walked away. Kagome held her hand out to Sango.

"I'm Kagome. It's nice to meet you!" She said cheerfully. Sango took her hand and nodded but said nothing. Kagome could see that sadness-and defeat, had settled in her eyes.

From across the gym, a blue-eyes runner watched both girls play. The new one-who was absolutely beautiful, played aggressively, and scored many points. He grinned and turned away, anticipating their encounter.

::~

If there are any mistakes, please let me know!

**Edited 7/7/13**


	2. Chapter 2

By free period everyone in the school had accumulated in the lunchroom. Students piled on top of each other, speaking about anything and everything. Kagome tried to enjoy herself, but their conversations were dull. With a sigh, she said she was going for a walk and she headed out to the field. A large expanse of greenery was in front of her, with trees surrounding them. It was an open campus, and many demons had entered before, which is why they admitted demons into the school. It was a controversial topic, but soon enough everyone got used to it. Even then, Kaede only allowed entrance to the best demons in the country.

By the bleachers, Kagome saw a large figure hunched over, that looked like it was trying to pick something apart. She walked closer, taking in the long silver braid that went down it's back.

It was that Inuyasha fellow. She thought about turning back, but he seemed like he was really struggling. "Um, excuse me," She said, tilting her head to the side and staring at his hunched back. Inuyasha turned to face her with a scowl. He had his hair in his hands and had been scratching at the tight braid.

"Whatddaya want?" He said brusquely. Kagome huffed. Well if he was going to be rude about it, she might as well walk away right now. Kagome placed her hand on her hips.

"You know, for someone who needs help you're extremely rude," She snapped. For a moment She thought she saw Inuyasha's gaze waver, before he turned away from her. Kagome stood and stared, more than a little confused at their encounter. She turned to go before she his voice pierced the silence.

"Get this damn thing off me," he said referring to the braid. "You're a girl, aren'tcha? You have to know about this stuff." He sat patiently on the ground, with his hands planted on the ground and his feet on each end. She'd almost forgotten that he was a dog demon. Kagome walked towards him and sat behind him, slowly getting to work on untangling the braid he now made worse.

::~

He didn't understand why he was being so familiar with her. Perhaps it was because she was the essence if Kikyou, and somehow it was like she was still there. Inuyasha purred as Kagome ran her fingers through his scalp, trying to find any more knots she had to pick apart. He could hear her breathing, and took in the awed breaths she took as she felt his hair.

Her breath caught and before he could turn around and ask what was wrong, she was rubbing his ears. Inuyasha was assailed with a need that made him see white. His entire body screamed with desire. That had _never _happened before.

Snarling, he bolted away from her and growled. His gang jutted out over his bottom lip and he had his claws out. When he saw how scared Kagome was he visibly relaxed, his gaze still hard. "Don't _ever_ do that again," he bit. She nodded and hastened to her feet, quickly running back into the hoarde of humans in the lunchroom.

Inuyasha caught his breath and sat down, staring at the field for a moment. That had never happened before. Miroku's touched his ears, when they first met and he wanted to see if they were real. Hell even Sesshoumaru had grabbed his ears just to be a nuisance. Kikyou never dared get close to them, and the little runt Rin had pulled on them more times than he could count.

He didn't understand why one little touch sent made him lose his senses.

That's made Inuyasha feel vulnerable.

He _hated_ feeling vulnerable.

By fourth period Kouga had decided to make an appearance, as did Hojo. Both boys loomed over Kagome's desk-Hojo with a basket of fruits in his arms he seemed to have forgotten about, and Kouga with nothing but his shaking fist in the air. As usual, both were squabbling and Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi watched with interest.

So irritated that her annoyance was coming off her in waves, Kagome kept her eyes downcast, the only thing she could do to keep herself from saying something rude to the both of them-or do worse. "Pipe down, Hojo!" Kagome said, knowing that the boy was too sweet to do any harm. Kouga on the other hand, he was so angry her desk was close to splitting in half from how hard he was gripping the edge.

"Kouga, go to class, _please_." Kagome begged. They were already causing a scene. Their teacher sat resigned at his desk, waiting for Kouga to leave so he could start his class, but that didn't seem to be happening any time soon. Kagome had long ago stopped listening to Kouga's threats, knowing that he wouldn't deliver them in a full room.

_No way Kagome, I'm stayin' right here. No way am I letting this puny human provide something I can get for my woman-_

"ENOUGH!" Kagome yelled, slapping her palms over the top of the desk. As soon as she spoke the door was kicked open and there stood Inuyasha, who looked like he had been running. Without glancing at anyone else, he walked over to Kagome's desk, and slapped a white ticket on it.

"Here," He said, not sounding too happy about it. Kagome blinked and looked down at the small white sheet of paper.

"It's a ticket for the next race," She said out loud, a bit confused as to why Inuyasha would give it to her. They barely knew each other, after all.

"Yeah, what of it? I expect you to be there on time, alright?" He said before leaving the room just as quickly as he came. Kagome stared at him in shock and then looked down at the small piece of paper. The rest of the class leered at her and slowly, Kagome sunk into her seat.

Hours later Kagome trudged home, a very distant look in her face. She kept thinking of the silver-haired hanyou, who had no manners, was rude, pushy, and dangerous. She kept thinking about the way she felt a jolt when she touched his ears. That wasn't supposed to happen, was it? She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. She had an hour or so before the race began.

She didn't have to be there, right? I mean, why would he invite her if they barely knew each other? It didn't make sense.

::~

For the next month or so, Inuyasha arrived to her fourth period class with a small white ticket in his hand without fail. Other than that small piece of interaction, he kept himself away from her. Often she could feel his amber gaze boring into the back of her skull, but when she turned around to see him, he was gone.

One day right before fourth Kagome decided to skip walking with her friends, and instead wait in front of her class five minutes before it began. Surprisingly enough when she arrived, Inuyasha had already been sitting there. He looked up and her and scrambled to his feet, holding the white slip out to her indignantly. Kagome gave one look at the slip, and then met Inuyasha's eyes. It took a lot of willpower to stop herself from getting lost in the melting pools of gold. Inuyasha was unlike any demon she'd ever met, which is precisely why she wanted to know more.

"Take it," He said holding it out, a little annoyed to have him stare at her. He didn't like being scrutinized, especially by someone he barely even knew. Kagome shook her head.

"What do you mean, no?" Inuyasha said caught off guard. Every time he had a race Kagome was there, and every time he pushed himself harder and harder. He wanted to win, with every fiber in his being. To prove to her that he_ could_ win, for whatever reason it was. Something in him wanted to give her everything he had, and he didn't know why.

At first she sat in the bleachers, avoiding eye contact with him whenever he sought her out among the crowd. Everyone else rooted for him, Inuyasha being the fastest runner on the team, but Kagome remained seated. She remained passive, and he hated it. It was slowly that Kagome started to root for him when he was running-her gaze following his every move on the field. At the last game, he was head to head with another rival demon who was vying for first place. Kagome had stood and cheered his name excitedly, and it was exactly the push he needed to reach the finish line before anyone else. It felt good, to have her cheer for him. It pleased his demon.

_It pleased his demon?!_

"Take the damn thing Kagome!" He said, shoving it at her. Kagome defied him and clutched her books closer. "Not until you tell me why you want me to go so bad," She started. "I barely know you, we never talk, yet you expect me to come to these like its second nature. I don't understand," She asked an implied question in her voice. Inuyasha stuffed the white slip in his pocket and glared. He refused to answer questions he didn't understand.

"You don't want to go?" He bit, a lump forming in his throat. "Fine."

He brushed past her in order to escape the crowd of oncoming students that were heading to class, leaving a very confused Kagome in his wake.

::~

"Excuse me," Sango bit, when a very annoying, very alluring blue-eyed senior didn't get out of the way. She had been trying to put her books in her locker before he appeared behind the door. She hated his way his rougish smile illuminated his face. She hated his—was that his hand?!

*SLAP*

"How _dare_ you!" Sango snarled, seeing red for the first time in weeks. She'd gone through enough, the last thing she needed was some idiot chasing after her just because he didn't know the meaning of the word 'No'. Who did he think he was, anyway?!

"My apologies," She heard him say. He gingerly touched his cheek. "I simply could not help myself in front of such a beauty. My name is Miroku Houshi, I am in Class A." He bowed respectfully and Sango blinked, her hand still by her locker. When he rose he stared at her intently. "And you my beautiful maiden, what is your name?"

_He's kind of formal, isn't he? _Sango mused as she bit her bottom lip. "Sango," She said curtly, trying to sound civil and angry at the same time. He genuinely smiled.

"Sango," he said, testing her name on his lips. "Well Sango, it's very nice to have you here. Have you been around the school? We have beautiful fields, and an even more beautiful garden. Surely you want to see the small animals we have there?" Before Sango knew it she was being whisked away by Miroku, his hand at the small of her back. Every time it tried to stray, a resounding slap was heard throughout the halls.


End file.
